I am just now beginning to see the fruit of the decisions I have been making, and it’s all good. Relationships I care about have deepened because I’ve not been wasting time when I’m online. My productivity has gone up, and my creativity output has increased – infact, I’m fulfilling a life long dream and publishing my first book next month!

I wanted to share with you the steps I took when I decided I wanted to bring my online presence to the next level. Whatever your dreams are, whatever your online goals, you can benefit from these tips.

1. Get A Blogging NotebookIf your blog is a place to share your passions, your little tool to try to make the world a better place, if you are constantly having great ideas that you just have to blog about – you need to get a blogging notebook. Benefits include:

all your blog ideas in one place (no searching around for scraps of paper and things you wrote in margins of your journal)

Reducing time online – you won’t have to get on the computer to jot down an idea

Increasing productivity when online – you’ll have your post, or atleast an outline, right in front of you and you won’t have to be searching around and trying to collect your thoughts

Whenever I have an idea for a post, I write the title on the top of a new page. As I gather info or am inspired on that topic, I jot it down as it comes to me. During the day the 8 1/2 x 11 tablet lives on the kitchen counter. At night it comes up to my bedstand, ready for when inspiration strikes. My mind feels so free when I know I’ve downloaded my ideas in a safe place, and I never lack for post ideas when I sit down at the computer.

2. NetworkThis is the new, biggest secret to a successful blog. The old rule was “Content is King” – if you had good content, people would find you and your blog would grow. Now, there are soooo many great blogs and bloggers, you could be a superstar sharing the cure for cancer, and no one will find you…unless they know someone you know.You have to connect with people (especially people in your niche) and form relationships. Comment, follow, re-tweet and be active on other people’s blogs. Leave helpful comments, respond to questions, and if you’re really serious about growth and development, try guest posting, like I did for Lindsay last month. (once again a warm welcome to all my new readers that followed me over here!) Recommended Reading:

3. Keep track of your timeWe all are guilty of getting sucked in and spending too much, less-than-productive time online. I helped choke this habit by actually logging my computer time for a few weeks. I found I was spending upwards of 4 hours a day online, and that just didn’t fit in the budget, as Amy would say. So, I made the goal of 2 hours a day and it really helped me stay focused.I also have tried setting a timer when I get online – 15 min. of email – 15 min. of facebook – when the time goes, I have to log out. This keeps me productive and shortens those bunny trails and blog-hopping expiditions.Of course, if you need help managing your time in any area of your life, I recommend Amy’s book, Tell Your Time!

4. Less is MoreIf you’re overwhelmed by all this new information and don’t think you really have time to build up your online presence or make your blog what you wish it could be, be encouraged by this revolutionary idea: you don’t have to blog every day!I use to be one of those “every day but Sunday – don’t want my readers to get bored!” bloggers. I took my goal of new content every day very seriously – till blogging became a burden. About that time, I was also in the progress of sifting through my RSS feed. Keeping up with all my favorite blogs had become overwhelming, too. I actually deleted a few blogs because they posted too frequently – I couldn’t keep up and always felt behind and stressed. That’s when I realized that I’m probably not the only one who feels that way – too much to read, too little time.So, I gave myself a break and set a more reasonable goal for me and my readers – 3-4 posts a week. This would ensure my posts were quality and not just “hmm, what should I blog about today?” and would make sure I didn’t overwhelm my precious readers. (after all, if you want MORE of me, you can always read the archives!!! ☺)

5.Be ThereThis is my favorite tip, because it’s the one thing that has made my blog the place I always desire it to be – a community, a place where people share and connect, a place to make new friends.For all that to happen, you have to be there for your readers – you have to comment on your own blog! I never used to do this, ’cause I thought, “Who actually goes to the trouble to check back and see how the comment thread conversation is going?” Then I started getting questions in the comments, and I realized I had to answer. And that’s when the fun began – you guys responded back, and we were actually having a conversation! For your blog to be lively, you gotta be a faithful commenter – be willing to go back and reply to your readers.

Diane is a great example to me in this – she and her readers have long, lovely conversations in the dozens of comments after each of her posts. It really is “where all the fun happens”, as she says. Make sure you don’t miss a single comment on your blog by receiving them to your email inbox, then respond back as often as you can, even if it’s just a ‘thanks for commenting!’

Do your online goals include monetizing (making money) on your blog? If so, you’ll want to stay tuned for info on how to join the affiliate program for my soon-to-be-released e-book. I’m planning on a %50 commission on sales for my affiliates!

And that’s my tips – do you have any more to add? Meet you in the comments…

Comments

Elisabeth, Congrats on publishing your own books! I'm realizing just how much work that is and my admiration of authors is growing daily! Hopefully I'll be able to claim the title in just a few more weeks…

P.S. I'm so intrigued by your mention of publishing a book next month. That's SO exciting! That was me last year (and, hopefully, it'll be me again this year!) and I know the journey is long, but it's also thrilling. Lots of blessings as you see this dream come true!

I think the hardest thing for me as a blogger is finding the time to comment on other blogs (in an intelligent way that doesn't imply “I haven't REALLY read this post” – I HAVE read THIS post, by the way! ) and finding the content to post on my own blog. Sometimes I don't have anything to say. But I'm learning that at those times a notebook of ideas is a life-saver … er blog-saver. I think, also, commenting on my own blog is my number one favourite bit of blog advice. It creates a conversation. And, thus, a sort of relationship.

Totally agree that the best way to get comments to leave comments on other blogs. I've never been one to respond much to comments on my blog unless someone asks a direct question, but have noticed a few of the blogs I follow the bloggers respond to every single comment, and it does seem to be a good way to encourage more comments.

I waste way more time clinking on links in blogs to to other blogs, etc, than I do on facebook. A timer is probably a good idea, especially on days when I am mostly home–the computer can suck away so much time. And actually, there are days when I just turn it off for the day, so I'm not tempted to log on and check e-mail which leads to other things….

The timer idea is a great one. It's so easy to lose track of time. Just now, I looked down at the clock on my screen and realized it's nearly one in the morning! Last time I checked, it wasn't quite 11. Ugh, and my dishes still need to be done!